Random Canadian Facts: For Nay-Nay

Today’s fact looks at the transition of Canadian bank notes to coins. Prior to 1987, we used $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 as the denominations for our currency. As most of us have experienced, paper notes wear down and become unusable. There are two schools of thought when it comes to remedies. Australia’s: make plastic notes that don’t break down (obviously brought on by the surfing culture), and Canada’s: make coins to weigh people down even more.

So, Nay-Nay, did you know that Canada abolished the $1 and $2 bills in favour of coins?

Well, we did. On June 30th, 1987, the “loonie” was introduced as a replacement to the $1 bill. Pictured on the coin was a loon floating on a serene lake. On the back, the Queen of England.

Next came the abolition of the $2 dollar bill in 1995 (I can’t believe it was that long ago) in favour of the “toonie.” The good people at the Royal Canadian Mint really stepped up to the plate on this occasion. Not only was there an intricately designed polar bar on the front, but the coin was also made of two different metals (and colours). However, it soon became obvious that the same good people at the Mint failed chemistry in school. Metals expand and contract at different temperatures, right? Well, the harsh Canadian climate exposed these coins to a wide range of temperatures. The result was a two-piece “toonie,” as cold temperatures caused one metal to contract. This problem was soon rectified and the “toonie” became one again.

There has been talk of replacing the $5 bill with a coin. This could simultaneously be the largest, and stupidest, coin in the history of time. Any guesses on what the name might be? If it follows current convention, the “pentoonie” or “fiveie.”  *Shudder*

(Info provided by cbc.ca)